


A Tale of Sleepless Nights and Potions

by AngelaSnape



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-02
Updated: 2012-07-02
Packaged: 2017-11-09 01:17:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/449649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelaSnape/pseuds/AngelaSnape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kingsley's last year at Hogwarts is full of tense moments.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tale of Sleepless Nights and Potions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Snape Showcase 2012

Severus Snape - Hogwarts' newly-minted Potions Master and professor of same - both anticipated and dreaded his N.E.W.T.-level class each week. The sheer joy of working with students who _understood_ the nuances of his craft was such a welcome relief from the dunderheads in the lower grades, that some weeks, it was all that kept him going. Getting through a double period with no exploding cauldrons, no noxious fumes filling his classroom was a delight.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was no exception. The handsome Ravenclaw - a prefect, naturally - was a born brewer, intelligent and intuitive when it came to Severus' craft. And Severus had been waking up in the middle of the night - every night, at precisely three o'clock - rock hard, soaked in sweat, his mind filled with images of Kingsley Shacklebolt... naked, and writhing beneath him. _That_ was not conducive to effective teaching - and at the very least, Severus wanted his N.E.W.T. students to succeed. 

Severus steeled himself against those images as he pushed through the Potions classroom door. The dunderheads of the world and their inability to brew even the simplest cough medicine kept the potions shops in brisk business - but the N.E.W.T. students all had aspirations that included or required intimate knowledge of potions-making. Severus just hoped that Kingsley had no questions for him and that he could make it through the hours ahead _without_ getting an erection.

*SS*

After dinner, Kingsley sought out his usual table in the library. With a potions mid-term examination looming, he knew he had to spend some extra time revising. He needed to earn an Outstanding in all his N.E.W.T. courses to guarantee his entry into the Auror training programme. It was all he'd ever dreamt of doing with his life after Hogwarts.

Professor Snape was a demanding instructor who obviously loved his craft. But as a young professor, he relied heavily on snark and vitriol to control his classes, and sometimes it seemed that he spent more time on working on new insults than planning lessons. Sometimes Kingsley felt as though he might have learned more from Professor Slughorn, even though all anyone needed to do for an O in his class was to be a member of the Slug Club. It also helped that Slughorn was much older, and not particularly attractive. 

Kingsley remembered Snape from when he'd been a student. They'd occasionally shared the same corner of the library - never the same table, considering they'd been from different years and different houses - and sometimes Kingsley had thought he felt black eyes staring at him, only to turn towards the older boy and see nothing but a curtain of black hair in front of his face.

Many students talked about Professor Snape behind his back, using terms like 'greasy git' and 'insufferable bastard' though Kingsley didn't agree with them. Most of them would probably brew nothing more complex than a cleaning potion once they left Hogwarts. After all, someone had to keep the potions shops in business. Kingsley opened his copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ and turned to the instructions for brewing Felix Felicis. He could use a little liquid luck to get him through this exam.

*SS*

As the term progressed, Severus found himself growing more and more irritable. He hadn't had an uninterrupted night's sleep in longer than he could remember. Countless times, he'd considered taking a dose of Dreamless Sleep, but in the end he always resisted, each time thinking this would be the night he'd sleep without dreaming. The last thing Severus wanted was to become reliant on the potion. _Perhaps a relaxing shower before bed would do the trick,_ thought Severus.

Standing under the spray, Severus turned the water up as hot as he could stand it. Steam billowed around his head, but the heat helped to ease the tension that had built up in his shoulders after a long evening grading papers. Unbidden, Kingsley's smiling face - complete with the silver hoop earring he'd recently acquired - sprang to mind and Severus' cock filled. Deciding that turning the temperature to 'cold' would only keep him up later, Severus thumbed the cork off a phial of bath oil and poured out a generous amount into his palm. 

Squeezing a little at the base of his prick, Severus began with slow strokes that ended with a slight twist and a swipe of his thumb over the sensitive head. His hips began to move in counterpoint to his hand, and Severus could feel the tension building in his bollocks. With his free hand, Severus pinched his nipple, the pain just enough to bring him over the edge, and he painted the tiles with his spunk.

*SS*

Kingsley was restless. With N.E.W.T. examinations imminent, he'd been spending every waking hour in study mode. If there'd been even the slightest chance that sleeping with his potions texts under his pillow would help him, Kingsley would have gladly sacrificed his comfort in favour of earning that elusive O. As it was, his dreams were plagued by sallow faces with long noses, framed by lank black hair. Casting _Notice-Me-Not_ on himself, Kingsley slipped out of the dormitory and down the stairs from Ravenclaw Tower. _Perhaps some time in the Prefects' Bathroom would help calm the nerves_ , Kingsley thought as he crept along the fifth floor corridor.

There was a tense moment when Mrs. Norris lingered a little too close to Kingsley's feet, but Mr. Filch just called her away; Kingsley finally passed the statue of Boris the Bewildered, and slipped into the Prefect's bathroom. He locked the door, slipped out of his robes, and padded over to the huge bathtub. 

Kingsley's favourite tap had an amber handle and dispensed sandalwood-scented bubbles into the water. Sinking up to his neck in the thick bubbles, Kingsley finally was able to relax. The mermaid smiled down at him from her window, and Kingsley waved before leaning his head back against the tiles and closing his eyes.

*SS*

The Leaving Feast - Kingsley's last - saw everyone in high spirits. Ravenclaw had won the House Cup and Kingsley felt good about his chances on the N.E.W.T.s. He would be on pins and needles waiting for the owl that would deliver the results next month, but for now, he would enjoy this last meal at Hogwarts.

The House Elves had out-done themselves, even for a Leaving Feast. Kingsley took extra portions of his favourites - and it seemed as though everything on the table was his favourite. As he and the other seventh-years reminisced about their school years and made promises to get together to open their N.E.W.T. results when they arrived, Kingsley kept one eye on the staff table. A couple of times, he caught Snape looking his way, but the professor always turned to talk to Professor Flitwick whenever they made eye contact. 

Even these brief flickers of contact were enough to give Kingsley hope. Over the past few months, the tension between them had been thick enough to cut with a knife, and Kingsley, for one, was ready to act on it. And now that he was no longer a student... he was hoping that he could. Snape stood and stalked out of the Great Hall. Kingsley pushed away from the table, and bid goodnight to his friends. He planned to follow Snape. 

Before Kingsley left Hogwarts, he had to know if there was a chance that Snape returned his feelings.


End file.
